Opening hours and admission

View interior 

140 rooms
Cecilia Christine Schøller, widow of the Privy Councillor, paid the amount of 7400 spesiedaler to have the mansion bult. That equals approximately NOK 78 million in today's money.

The widow and her in-laws had 140 rooms at their disposal. However, she did not have many years to enjoy the splendid interior of her new house before she left for Copenhagen, where she died in 1786. Her son-in-law, General Georg Fredrik von Krogh, organized the lively social activities here before the heirs sold the house to the state in 1800. Then the County Governor and the County Court moved in.

Royal Residence from 1906
When Karl Johan was crowned in 1818, the Royal Residence served as the point of departure for the coronation procession to Nidaros Cathedral for the first time. The County Governor had to find a temporary home for his documents and dossiers. The coronation tradition in Trondheim was continued with the crowning of the Swedish-Norwegian regents Karl XV and Oscar II. The year after the union was dissolved - in 1906 - King Håkon VII was crowned, and the name "the Royal Residence" was taken into use. The County Governor now left the building for good.

Royal chambers
This mansion was the splendid backdrop for the blessing of King Olav V in 1958 and King Harald V in 1991, for the city's millennium celebrations, and for the joint celebration of the sixtieth birthdays of the King and the Queen in 1997. The Royal Residence has the style and exquisite detail that make it a true wooden palace. It offers rooms for any occasion including official receptions, with halls across the whole width of the house on both floors, with Troningssalen - the Throne Room - on the ground floor and Dronningens salong - the Queen's Salon - on the floor above. It also has a number of rooms on each side combined with smaller chambers. There are no corridors, but enfiladed double doors between the rooms, so that when the doors are open the special character and colours of the rooms can be seen at a glance. Examples of the light, airy Rococo use of space abound, replete with elaborate embellishments and elegant adornments in the ceilings, wall paintings and tapestries reflecting the chinoiserie style. Everything has been fully restored in recent decades.

Guided tours of the Royal Residence are arranged by the National Museum of Decorative Arts, except when the Royal Family is in residence.

• The Royal House of Norway web site

Text by Dag-Ivar Rognerød
Illustrations from top:
The Royal Residence. Photo by Jørn Adde 
The Throne Room. Photo by Jiri Havran